


Opportunity Lost

by Emerald_Triplets (orphan_account), Twilight (orphan_account)



Category: Ultimate Spider-Man (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, I'm Sorry, Short, Suicide, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 19:45:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4405058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Emerald_Triplets, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Twilight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by a true story.</p><p>Peter Parker needs to make up for his low gym grades and misses out on being a hero... in more ways than one.</p><p>*Completed*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opportunity Lost

**Author's Note:**

> For all of you reading my sister's story, Harley Quinn's Patients, sorry she hasn't posted the next chapter yet. I've been hogging the computer... :P But, hey, it was my turn to post a fic. Here it is. I hope you like.
> 
> Sadly, like the summery says, it's based on a true story a friend of mine's relative told about when he swam at his school gym and took notice of another kid there...

I was surprised when Phil Coulson asked to see me in his office but didn't have a mission. It wasn't like I had done anything wrong. Then he explained it all to me with 3 words.

"You're failing gym."

"Well, yeah. I can't have 'Puny Parker" showing off Spidey moves." I explained.

"We don't want you to do your best. We just want you to pass."

"You'll make a great dad someday." I said, but I knew he had a point.

To bring up my grades, it was decided I'ld join the swim team. Coulson told me not to worry about accidentally over-preforming, though. No one else was on the swim team, and the coach was a SHIELD agent. But when the day finally came when I'ld have to actual swim, I crashed into another guy on my way to the locker room. I forced myself to fall back like he did when we collided to keep up the puny average guy charade. My glasses even fell off which I felt was a nice touch.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," I said as I stood back up and offered my hand to help the other guy. He didn't take it. Instead, he pushed himself up and slipped past me, his eyes never leaving the floor.

I have to admit, I was a little insulted, but not at all surprised. No one wanted to be seen associating with me after all. The Ultimate Loser-Boy. 

I changed into my swimsuit and tried my best to give a just below average performance on my swimming. Nothing particularly pathetic. Just enough to make it seem like I didn't swim often, and nowhere near what I was really capable of.

I tried my best to ignore the other guy, who seemed content ignoring me. Whatever. I was just here to bring up my grade. That's what school was about right? Just do what you have to until you get out. It looked like the other guy felt the same way.

I complained to Principle Coulson the next day.

"You said I wouldn't have to worry about hiding my powers."

"Sorry, Peter. He joined last minute. Two weeks after you did. I couldn't exactly deny him the right to join because I had a careless superhero in the room."

"I am not careless."

"Then go not be careless in the gym, and bring those grades up to no lower then a D- and no higher then a B."

I sighed and left the room. As I walked down the hall to the gym, I saw my team rushing past me in the hall.

"Hey, what's the hurry guys?!"

"Didn't you hear?" Ava said passing me. "Lizard has been seen downtown!"

"What! And Coulson didn't tell me? I was just in his office!"

Sam stopped beside me before passing. "Oh, uh, Coulson wanted me to tell you that you're not going to this one."

"What?!!" I felt like I just got slapped in the face.

"Yeah, sorry," Sam said rubbing the back of his neck. "He says you have swim practice." Then he took off, leaving me in the halls.

For a month it went on like this. I missed missions, training sessions, and even hanging out with friends just to go to this stupid swim thing. What made it worse was that it felt like punishment for hiding my secret identity so well to protect those I love.

I couldn't even have fun doing it, with the other kid, Tyler, I think the coach called him. He had black hair but I'm pretty sure it was dyed, and that about summed up what I knew about him. He never spoke, and he avoided me entirely in the locker room. It was like he refused to recognize my existence, so I did the same.

Once when he dropped his goggles, I picked it up and handed it to him. 

But all he did was grab the goggles from my hand, mumble something that sounded like "Thanks" and walk off. It struck me at that moment that he must have been putting a seriousness effort towards not looking at me. it was so intensional. What did I ever do?

I decided it wasn't worth worry about. I'll just go, swim the laps, and leave. 

And that's what I did. It seemed really stupid, that I was in here swimming when I should have been saving people. But it would be over soon, so I just went with it.

The day I remember most was when we were nearing the end of the school year. At the end of our usual swim, I changed back into my clothes and walked out to see Tyler was still sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in. I probably wouldn't have bothered to pay attention, if he didn't look so alone. He stared down at the tiny ripples in the water, head hanging low, when I thought I saw a tear fall into the pool... But I just kept walking. It wasn't that I didn't care, I did. I guess, I just didn't think he wanted to be bothered. It wasn't like he acted like he needed anybody.

The next day, I went to the gym pool like always... But something didn't feel right. The air felt heavy, my body shaky... I knew something was wrong. I asked the gym coach where Tyler was. But all he said was it was just me now.

What did that mean?

Just a couple days later, I found out when I read an article in the paper.

The headline read:

15 Year Old Commits Suicide In Midtown High Gym

Below was a picture of Tyler...

I could tell myself a thousand time over, I did my best to reach out to him. I at least made an effort... But I'ld be lying to myself. I didn't even try. Why would I? I had friends. I never even wanted to be there. I was really only thinking of myself. What I wanted or didn't want. How I was feeling. Or whether or not he was making an effort to be friends with ME. And he obviously wasn't.

He never asked for a friend. He never asked for help...

But maybe sometimes the people who need the most help, are the ones who never ask for it. 

Turns out, I didn't need to be Spider-Man to save someone after all. I could have just been a friend...

Why did I not even try?

Coulson was right. I guess I really was careless after all.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think of this short story?


End file.
